No fewer than 80 Nigerians were arrested were on Sunday arrested in Malaysia for allegedly engaging in fraud and cultism in the country.

The Nigerians were said to have been staying in the country illegally.

The raids by the Malaysian Immigration Department started at 10.30pm in Kajang following complaints from local residents who were not comfortable with the presence of foreigners who often created social problems.

Immigration director-general, Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said that several department officers were injured during the operation after wrestling with the illegals who refused to cooperate.

“Some jumped out through windows to escape while the immigrant officers had to break down doors during the operation as the illegals refused to open them,’’ he told reporters here last night.

According to Khairul Dzaimee, there were 118 foreigners at the first raid at an apartment area with 90 illegals comprising Nigeria (78), Philippines (six), Pakistan (one), India (one) and four children, aged one to three, whose nationalities were not disclosed.

‘‘They were detained for various immigration offences including not having valid documents, overstaying and expired social visit passes,’’ he said.

Khairul Dzaimee said that some of the African nationals were busy surfing the social media on their laptops using pseudonyms.

In another operation by the department at an entertainment centre in Puchong, Khairul Dzaimee said 40 illegals from Sierra Leone (23), Nepal (eight), Tanzania (one), Guinea (three) and Kenya (one), Myanmar (two) and Nigeria (two) were detained. — Bernama

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